While taking some time off can is something that we all need and is really fun, the time comes when we need to get back to our routine and work again.

It seems like weeks have gone by since we decided to take off for a few days and head to the city. In some ways it was really refreshing, but in others it was more tiring than our regular routine. In any case, it was fun.

Even upon returning home on Saturday, as we unpacked and started to settle all our acquisitions into place, it set off a chain of events that included cleaning, sorting and weeding through things and once again reorganizing. None of this is a bad thing, and as I look around this morning I feel really good about our place here and how we are able to fit so much in our little place without it looking cluttered in the least. One of our rules of thumb in general is that when we get something new, we need to get rid of something. This only makes sense and it help us keep from accumulating a lot of things that we don’t need. It also keeps us in check as to the amount of stuff we have here, as we tend to think twice about buying unnecessary things when we know that an added cost of getting the new item is parting with something we have. I think it is a good policy though and even though there are certainly exceptions to the rule, for the most part we try to stick to it and keep the addition of new things to a minimum.

The process of rearranging and moving things around triggered some major cleaning on my part. One thing led to another and soon I was standing on a chair cleaning the top of the kitchen cabinets and working my way all the way down to the floor. I was amazed that it wasn’t ‘that bad’ seeing as we are accustomed to doing not only lathe work, but also scroll saw work in the kitchen. While there was a fine layer of dust on the tops of the cabinets, it really wasn’t what one would expect and it was certainly proof that even though we do a major part of our work here, it is possible to keep things tidy and clean.

Another bonus about doing this type of makeover is the inspirational projects that are born from this process, if for no other reason, out of necessity to make things work. While we didn’t feel up to making our own bedroom furniture, we certainly were not opposed to making some smaller storage pieces that will not only be customized to our needs and sizes, but (hopefully) made a bit better than anything we would be able to purchase for a good cost. It is good to learn on these smaller pieces, as some of you have suggested. Besides being less intimidating, there is less risk involved than if we were making a dresser or something large like that. Either way it is also a positive.

But for now, it is time for me to get back to drawing and designing. Since our decision to go was made at approximately 7pm Wednesday night and we were off early Thursday morning, everything is pretty much left hanging at the point that it was at last week. We did fill orders, but that was about it as far as the business was concerned and while it did fee to get away for a couple of days, now is the time to get back to things and jump in with both feet and work.

Good news is I really feel good about it. Besides all the wonderful new things I have seen that inspired a lot of great ideas, I actually miss working and creating and I am once again enthusiastic about what I am doing.

So all in all it was a very functional and fun week (if not necessary) to not only rejuvenate, but to further organize and make our place here really nice. It will be exciting on Thursday when the new dressers arrive. It will add a lot to our place here, not to mention give us probably twice the drawer space we have now. Somehow it will just feel good for everything to have its place.

So with that I will sign off for today. Time for another cup of coffee:

I (still) need to finish up on the pattern packets that I was working on last week and then I have several ideas of which direction that I want to head into as far as new designs. All in all, it should be a great week.